Replaceable and retractable cartridge type ball point pen



March 5, 1957 J. M. MACZYNSKI 2,783,741

REPLACEABLE AND RETRACTABLE CARTRIDGE TYPE BALL POINT PEN 2 sheets-sheet 1 Filed May 3. 1954 /IVVNTOR Jerzy Mar/an MAC Z YMSK/ W ad ATTORNEKS March 5, 1957 J. M. MACZYNSKI 2,783,741

7 REPLACEABLE AND RETRACTABLE CARTRIDGE TYPE BALL POINT PEN 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 3, 1954 5 R Y m. k m w m w 2 I 3 w .J .M 0 a V2! A l flI I A w I07////7 M n s m u w a m M m 8 J V! 1|.[ 8

flmwl IV y//////// 7//////// 7//// 7////// t United States Patent REPLACEABLE AND RETRACTABLE CARTRIDGE TYPE BALL POINT PEN Jerzy Marian Maczynski, St. Lambert, Quebec, Canada,

assignor to Northern Industrial Products, Hacker:- sack, N. J.

Application May 3, 1954, Serial No. 427,226

3 Claims. (Cl. 120-4203) The present invention relates to writing implements and, more particularly, to ink-cartridge pens and the like in which the writing end or tip thereof, forming part of the cartridge, can be retracted within at protecting body and replaced by a new cartridge when desired. The cartridge replacement feature is a continuation-in-part of copending application for patent Serial Number 348,627 filed April 14, 1953, now abandoned.

This broad retracting idea is, of course, not new: early fountain pens were designed so that the writing nib could be withdrawn, by screw action, inside the pen body. Similarly, for facilitating the handling of pressed writing leads, either of graphite or agglomerated colored pigments, many suggestions have been made for mounting such leads in suitable holders having means for retracting the leads in protected position within the holders. With the advent of the ball-point pen as a tremendously popular and inexpensive writing implement, the desirability of withdrawing the ink tip within a sleeve, or body, has become the obvious object of further improvement. This objective, furthermore, is motivated by the unforunate propensity of ball-point pens to smudge fingers and clothing brought in contact with the exposed tip; consequently, for carrying such pens in handbags and pockets, it is now current practice to provide means for retracting the tip within the pen body.

So far, however, the said retracting means were apt to be onerous for use with inexpensive implements, and out of proportion with the cost of the pen alone. As a result, relatively expensive ball-point pens 'only are now available with tip-retracting means.

Furthermore, the expense involved in providing the retractable feature renders almost compulsory the provision of means for replacing the ink supply after exhaustion thereof. In point of fact, the cost of the cartridge alone is only a fraction of the total pen cost; thus, it would appear to be good economy to replace in an expensive and lasting body a cheap and expendable cartridge. This replacement feature, however, represents a further increase in the production price, unless the means therefor are extremely simple.

The present invention has been conceived to avoid the disadvantage noted above and, consequently, its primary objective may be stated to reside in the provision of improved and efficient means for very inexpensively providing an ordinary ball-point pen with a retractable and replaceable ink cartridge and writing tip.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a ball pen of the character described in which the tipretracting means can be easily and rapidly operated with the fingers of one hand only.

Still another object concerns point-retracting and cartridge-replacing means for a ball-pen, which means are simple, rugged and of long life expectancy.

Yet a further object of the invention envisages a pen of the type defined above which is adaptable to any decorative treatment and not limited as to size.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent,

ice

or be pointed out further, during the description to follow.

As an example, and for purposes of illustration, an embodiment of the invention is shown in the annexed drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a side elevation of the pen object of the invention, shown with the cartridge tip extended in writing position;

Figure 2 is a perspective, so-called exploded view of the pen components in their approximate relative position;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary, perspective, composite view showing the two main assemblies of the pen prior to their connection together;

Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the ink cartridge in disconnected arrangement with .respect to its supporting post;

Figure 5 is a longitudinal section taken through the operating barrel of the pen and partly through the body thereof, the pen being in fully extended position of the cartridge, for removal thereof;

Figure 6 is a similar view showing the cartridge slightly retracted but locked in tip-exposed, writing position;

Figure 7 is yet another view showing the cartridge tip in retracted position within the body; and,

Figure 8 is a transverse section with the clip omitted;

Referring to the drawings, wherein similar reference characters represent corresponding parts throughout, it will be seen that the pen of the invention is outwardly constituted of three members only, namely: the body A, the barrel B and the clip C. Said members are shown in more detail in Figure 2, wherein the body A is illustrated in the form of an elongated cylinder 10 having an inside bore 11 and tapering at the Writing end into a cone 12. The other end of the body is reduced at 13, to form a shoulder 14, said reduced portion having a pair of slots 15 disposed in diametrally opposed relation longitudinally along the axis of the portion 13 (see Figure 8). As shown, said slots extend from the shoulder 14 towards the end of the reduced portion, terminating just short of said end.

For a purpose to be explained later on, a notch 16 is milled on one edge right-angularly with respect to each slot 15, approximately midway thereof. It must be noted, however, that one notch only is present on any one side of the slot 15 and that, furthermore, both notches are arranged in opposed diametral relation with respect to the reduced portion 13 (see Figures 3 and 6). This completes the preparation of the body proper.

The ball point tip 20 is mounted at one end of an ink cartridge 21, which cartridge is adapted to be connected to the barrel B and, hence, movable therewith (see Figures 2-3). The physical dimensions of said cartridge are such that its outside diameter is slightly less than the diameter of the bore 11, for freer movement of the cartridge, longitudinally, inside the body bore. For guiding purposes, however, and for holding the tip against wobbling, in writing position, an enlargement 22' is formed immediately adjacent the writing tip; said enlargement should be so dimensioned that it fits snugly, yet freely, inside the bore, as shown in Figures 6 and 7. Thus, the ink cartridge 21 can be movedinside the body with the minimum of friction, an important considera-' tion to become evident later on.

As shown in Figures 3 and 5, the stub post '17 is secured at its large end to the barrel B, by means of the lugs 19 formed thereon for engagement with the bush ing 24 at the end of barrel B. Said bushing has the dual function of holding the clip C in place and securing the post to the barrel. As shown in Figure 2, the said bushing is bored at 25, to receive the end and lugs of the stub post and is formed with a Hat surface 26i 'A'conical head 27 terminates the outer end of the bushing, said head providing a shoulder 28 for locating the bushing at the end of the barrel.

Said barrel is constituted of a simple hollow cylinder 32, open at both ends, and provided with a short transverse slot 3 1 adjacent the bushing end thereof. Said slot is of a lengthcorresponding closely to the width of the clip spade, so that said spade can bepushed through the slot without undue sideplay.

The barrel and associated parts are assembled as follows: the clip spade is first inserted through the slot 3. and the clip swung against the barrel cylinder 32, thi motion placing the spade against, or close to, the inside surface of the cylinder. The bushing is then forced into the outer end of the cylinder, with the hat portion 26 disposed immediately over the clip spade. T. e barrel is thus closed at one end and the clip secured solidly in place in one easy operation.

Without departing from the invention, it is evident that the clip could be riveted to the cylinder 32, or gripped thereto, if desired. The bushing would retain its fiat surface 26 to clear the internal ends of the rivets or grippers.

Obviously, the bushing must be press-fitted into the cylinder for secure connection of. the parts without, however, causing cracking of the bushing, or splitting of the barrel. Plastic compositions have been found particularly suitablefor this bushing, the resiliency thereof enabling forcing said bushing in place easily and securely. As shown in Figures 2-3-4, the cartridge 21 is in the form of a tube filled with suitable ink and adapted to be releasably connected to the barrel B through the intermediary of a stub post 17 having a reduced end 18 and side lugs 19. For better fit of the cartridge about its supporting post, the open end of said cartridge tube is slitted at 23, as depicted in Figures 2 and 4.

An examination of Figure 2 will reveal that the cartridge stub post 17 is drilled at 35,, near the reduced portion 18, said drill holes being adapted to receive a pin 36 extending entirely through the post and projecting on bothsides thereof (see Figures 2, 3 and 6). The pin is so calculated that both its ends will fit in the slots of the body, thereby restricting the longitudinal movement of the post 17 and its attached cartridge 21 to the length of the slots.

The pen is completed by the addition of a. coiled spring 37 having one end 38 bent radially inward, the other end 38 being bent axially and outwardly. The diameter of this spring is such that it can be slipped freely over the reduced portion 13 of the body 10, in such a manner that the bent end 38 hooks into one of the slots 15, while the end 39 is adapted to engage the pin 36 (see Figures 3 and 7).

As previously stated, the spring 37 is so dimensioned that, Once in place, it exerts an axial pressure on the barrel, outwardly and, at the same time, a torsional tension on said barrel also, as will become evident presently.

The pen is assembled as follows:

The barrel is first prepared by securing the clip C to the barrel and, finally, the bushing 24 is forced in place at the outer end of said barrel.

The cartridge support post 17 may be assembled at this stage by pressing the lugged end of said post in the bore 25 of the bushing 24. This pressing operation is calculated to force the lugs 19 into the bushing, as shown in Figures 5-7, for preventing relative movement between post and bushing.

The spring is afterwards disposed over the body reduced portion 13 and the bent end 38 thereof hooked in one of the slots 15, next to the shoulder 14. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the spring 37 is normally longer than portion 13 and, consequently, will be under compression after the pen is completely assembled (see Figures 6 and 7).

Th next operation consists in. connecting the post 17 with the spring and, for that purpose, the pin 36 will be used. With the spring suitably compressed, to clear at least the outer end of the slots 15, the post is manipulatedso as to line up the drilled holes 35 therein with the slots, thereby enabling the insertion of the pin within said slots, through the post and, of course, above the free end of the compressed spring. As said spring is released it will immediately expand and engage the ends of the pin 36 which project from both slots, thereby pushing said pin to the on d of the slots and the post with it.

The spring is further adjusted, by means of a winding motion, so that the bent end 39 exerts a distinct, and predetermined, torsional tension on the pin against the notched side of the slots, whereby the pin will be forced into notches 16 by the spring if the post is lowered inside the body (see Figure 6). In this position the post will be locked against longitudinal displacementand, the cartridge on the post being extended out of the body, the pen can now be used for writing.

In practice, the above assembling operations may be found to be rather ditficult, although this explanation was so given to facilitate comprehension.

Actually, the booking of the spring 37 is performed on the post 17, without the presence of the barrel, said barrcl being press-fitted onto the post as a final operation.

T he last operation, of course, consists in pushing an ink cartridge 21 over the small end of the post 17; it is frictionally retained so that it may be removed (Figure 5) yet held with enough tension to counteract the tendency to fall out by its own weight.

Thus, for unlocking the ink cartridge from its writing position it is only necessary to release the post pin from engagement within the body grooves; this is accomplished by an easy, small, rotational movement imparted by the thumb against the clip.

As the pin is released, the post and cartridge will snap back to the outer end of the body slot and, consequently, the writing tip will be withdrawn within the body. For extending the tip into position for writing, a simple pressure on the barrel, towards the Writing end of the pen, will depress the post and pin, against the spring pressure, until the pin falls into the notch of each slot, as explained above.

As explained above, the ink cartridge 21 and stub post 17 are calculated to move as a unit, within the pen body, for exposing or retracting the writing tip of the cartridge.

When it is empty, the cartridge is simply removed from engagement with the stub and another, full, cartridge pushed in place, over the small or reduced end of the stud post. This operation is shown in Figure 5 and, for the removal of the cartridge, it is extended out of the body beyond the normal writing position of Figure 6.

This is accomplished by holding the barrel against the torsional tension of the spring 37, to prevent entry of the pin 36 into the notches 16. Consequently, the said pin can be pushed further down, inside the slots 15, towards the body shoulder 14, until the bottom of said slots is reached and the spring fully compressed. This'additional movement of the pin (and stub and cartridge connected thereto) will permit exposing the tip 20 of the cartridge so that it can be grasped and pulled out completely (see Figure 6). A new, full, cartridge is simply slipped inside the bore 11 of the body, open end uppermost, until said end is pushed over the small end of stub 17, where it will be frictionally retained.

Normally, of course, the cartridge does not extend beyond the position shown in Figure 6, because, obviously, the pin 36 enters the notches 16, under the action of the spring.

Summing up, therefore, the ball point pen of the invention is provided with simple means for extending, or retracting, at will the writing tip thereof. Said means consist of a rigid ink cartridge slidably mounted longitudinally within an axial bore of the pen body. Over the upper end of the body, in co-axial sliding arrangement with respect thereto, a barrel is provided having a stub post over which the free end of the ink cartridge is frictionally secured.

A spring is interposed between said barrel and the body for urging constantly the stub post and cartridge in tipretracted position within the body.

A pin projecting from the post and rotatably urged also by the spring is movable in slots of the body, said slots having right-angular notches into which the pin may fall under the action of the spring, thus locking the stub post and cartridge in extended writing position.-

From the foregoing it should be evident that the pen of the present invention is an advance of the art; said pen is simple, its construction being such that it can be produced at an extremely low cost.

Furthermore, the tip-retracting mechanism is so conceived that no increase in size is required and any decorative treatment is perfectly feasible.

The operation of the pen is particularly efiective, all movements being perfectly possible with the fingers of one hand only; for extending the tip a simple pressure of the thiunb is sufiicient while, for causing retraction, a slight sidewise movement of the clip only suffices to disengage the cartridge tube and cause it to snap back within the body.

This last action is an advantageous feature of this invention because, at all times, a user can ascertain the exact position of the tip without feeling or looking at it. Even in the dark, a user knows, by the proper operation of the pen barrel, whether or not the tip is extended and liable to smear his fingers or shirt pocket.

Any accidental operation of the pen barrel always results in the pen tip assuming its safety position, that is: retracted within the body. Consequently, the tip cannot he accidentally extended, when in ones pocket, by a slight pressure or awkward movement.

In other words, extending and retracting the pen tip require two distinct, simple, movements which, in themselves, always apprise the user of the pen positions.

It must be understood that various changes as to the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

What I claim is:

1. A writing instrument comprising, in co-axial arrangement, an ink cartridge having a ball point at one end, a body bored to receive said cartridge in slidable engagement from point-exposed to point-retracted positions, said body consisting of a cylinder tapered at one end where the ball point extends, and reduced in diameter at the other end to form a shoulder, said reduced portion having diametrically opposed straight slots formed longitudinally within its confines, each slot having a lateral notch intermediate its ends, a stub post adapted to receive the cartridge in frictional engagement, lateral projections on the post, the pair of notches on said reduced body portion adapted to receive said projections for locking the post in cartridge ball point-exposed position, a coil spring urging said projections into said notches and, simultaneously, exerting a longitudinal retracting action on the post, said spring surrounding said reduced body portion and being hooked at one end to one of said projections and engaged at its other end in one of said slots adjacent the body shoulder, and a barrel secured to the post for manually extending the post projections in notch-engaging position or releasing said projections therefrom, thereby freeing the post to a cartridge retracting position under the action of the spring, or overextending the cartridge ball-point beyond the body for disengagement of said cartridge from the stub post.

2. In an instrument as claimed in claim 1, the barrel consisting in an open-ended cylinder concentrically slidable over the reduced end of the body and having the stub post centrally connected therewith.

3. A retractable ball point pen comprising a hollow cylindrical body tapered at one end and reduced in diameter at the other end to form a shoulder, said reduced body portion having a longitudinally extending straight slot formed within its confines, said slot having a medial lateral notch, an actuating barrel coaxial with and surrounding said reduced body portion, a stub post secured to said barrel and extending within said reduced body portion, an ink cartridge tube having a writing tip at one end and in frictional engagement with said stub post at its other end, said tube slidably extending within said cylindrical body, a lateral pin on said post passing through said slot and projecting outwardly of said reduced body portion, and a coil spring surrounding said reduced body portion and being hooked at one end to said pin and engaged in said slot adjacent said body shoulder at its other end, so as to be under longitudinal compression and also under winding tension between said shoulder and said pin, so constructed and arranged that actuation of said actuating barrel will act on the tube for extending the same into locked position with its tip in Writing position, overextending the same beyond the locked position, or releasing it from said locked position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 364,916 Goldsmith June 14, 1887 1,797,016 Osborne Mar. 17, 1931 2,519,502 Rem Aug. 22, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 477,244 Canada Sept. 25, 1951 

